ASU baseball swept by No. 5 Lander in doubleheader

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Lander Bearcats recorded 13 hits in each game of the doubleheader Saturday afternoon, to sweep Augusta State 14-9 and 11-5 at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

The win pushed Lander to 20-4 overall and 12-2 in the PBC, while ASU slid to 9-16 and 3-8.

It was a left-handed showdown in game one with LU starter Chess Malone (5-1) going 7.2 innings in the win for six runs on eight hits, against ASU lefty Kip Custer (5-2). Custer went 6.0 innings for seven runs on nine hits and two strikeouts.

Down 4-0 in the fifth, Seth Foster broke up the Bearcats’ no-hitter on a double down the right-field line. Logan South singled to get runners on the corners for Lance Mangrum who hit a run-producing fielder’s choice. A single from Nate Crown scored South and a sacrifice line drive from JD Sabo made it 4-3.

LU scored on back-to-back infield groundouts in the fifth, after the two leadoff men reached on consecutive hits. A single from Harvey put LU up 7-3, but ASU’s Justin Mee produced with a leadoff double and scored on an LU error in the bottom of the inning.

ASU right-hander Josh Barks relieved in the seventh to give up two runs, when the leadoff men reached on a hit-by-pitch and walk. Freshman Hunter Boose belted an RBI-double for ASU in the seventh and a batter later, Mee singled to score Boose for a 9-6 score. Mee hit a three-run homer in ninth, but not enough for a comeback as the Jags fell 14-9.

Dylan Wall (2-2) started game two for ASU in the loss, dealing two looking strikeouts in his first inning of work. Wall went 6.1 for five runs (three earned) on six hits and striking out four.

LU starter Logan Pemberton (6-0) got the win in 6.0 innings, to allow four hits for two runs. The Bearcats struck first on an RBI-single from Weston Lawing in the fourth, but ASU’s Seth Foster reached on a walk and sophomore Bryson Stack’s sac fly to left tied the game at one-all.

Aaron Poole knocked a double off the left-field wall for Lander and Harvey hit a homer for a 3-1 lead. ASU’s Mee leadoff the sixth with a walk and Foster moved him to second with a bunt single. Bryson Stack singled to left center to load the bases for Mangrum, who hit a sac-fly to score Mee.

Junior Clint Echols relieved the Jags in the seventh after two infield errors. The Bearcats added more on a double down the left-field line for two unearned runs. ASU freshman lefty Phil Dukes pitched in the eighth after Echols gave up a leadoff double. Dukes got a groundball for one out, but gave up a double and sac fly to right field for two LU run’s.

South reach on an infield error and Mee and Foster both scored on the play to make it 7-4, before a pop fly to left from Mangrum fell for a hit and another ASU run.

ASU’s Garrett Haskins came on in the ninth to give up two runs on a single up the middle – which brought in senior Tyler Ross. Ross allowed two more on a liner to the left side for an 11-5 final score.

Foster went 4-for-8 with three runs and an RBI on the day, while Mee was 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBIs in game one.

ASU hosts Anderson in a single game at LOS this Tuesday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m.

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